Cambridge vs. Oxford Varsity Matches at Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy
by Anthony Butler 11 Jul 22:37 BST
6-8 July 2018
Oxford-Cambridge Team Racing 2018 © Anthony Butler
Cambridge won both the Varsity Match and the Ladies Varsity Match held at Weymouth in the National Sailing Academy's Elliot 6M boats on 6-8 July 2018.
The outcome of the Varsity Match was as expected, with Cambridge fielding a strong team drawn from their BUSA runners-up and sixth placed teams. As a result, the score was 4-0 in their favour.
In the Ladies Match, Oxford were the favoured team, being Ladies National and BUSA winners to the 5th (National) and 3rd (BUSA) results of Cambridge. However, in a repeat of last year, the Cambridge Ladies showed better seamanship in making the transition from Firefly sailing to the different momentum and sail-trimming characteristics of the 21ft Elliots. So they ran out victors with an emphatic score of 4-1.
A big thank you to the Race Officers (headed by Sam Jenkins) and the Umpires, and to Weymouth SC for hosting an excellent after-match reception and dinner. And congratulations to Meli Besse of Oxford for organising what turned out to be a Varsity Match of the finest vintage.
Salcombe Gin sponsorship enlivened the reception and good sponsorship from the graduate job-finding support company, Interview Advantage, kept student costs within reasonable bounds.